Castle on the hill
by Immortal Star
Summary: During the summer before the seventh year, Magical Creatures start chosing sides - some having no say in the matter. Having been banned by the ministry, it seems clear which side werewolves will join. But nothing is ever for sure in the Wizarding World. (


Castle on the Hill  
  
By: Immortal Star  
A/N: Well, my first step into the Harry Potter fandom. I hope everyone  
enjoys this as much as I enjoy writing it!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It had been over a decade since the rumours had started in Hummingsdale. The tale went that, if one were to cross the forest that lay on the town's left side, they'd found a castle that would make one believe they'd stepped into a fairytale. Yet, the appearance was to be called deceit, for a monster was to be found inside, baring its teeth and ready to kill the unlucky intruder of its sanctuary.  
  
The man who had told the tale the first time had been laughed off – even when he'd shown wounds that came from his encounter with the 'monster of the hill'. But fear had been instilled into the inhabitants of the small town, when one day the man had disappeared.  
  
And so it came that, with the many mysteries behind the story, it was passed onto the children – with consequences. A group of boys that had tried to pass through the forest were found the next day sporting horns and a devil's tail, and seemed to have lost the ability to speak.  
  
Apparently, one drunken man had joked, the monster had a sense of humour. The rest of the town had not appreciated the humour, and a hunt had ensued throughout the forest.  
  
It was after four days the party had returned, carrying with them the monster's body – or that is what some had called it, as it had been impossible to identify whether this creature was human or animal.  
  
On the pictures taken of the body, one could almost daresay that this was a little girl when they saw the headshot. However, the full body pictures were a protest against that statement, as they showed long black hairs sprouting from her chest, her hands having turned into claws.  
  
A silent celebration had followed the 'capture' of the monster, which only took place during one day before the town continued in its normal routine. The story became a tale shared around campfires, which ironically were sometimes set in the very same forest.  
  
It seemed the town had forgotten the tale was truth. The only mention of it being so was stored in a file cabinet at the Ministry of Magic, and the man supposedly guarded these files was now leafing through them, murmuring silent curses into his dark office.  
  
"Can't trust those werewolves for one bit," Cornelius Fudge sighed, "They'll all turn against us someday..."  
  
He put down the Hummingsdale case file and grabbed a quill and parchment, trying to decide how to write down his thoughts about the situation without his burning hatred for the werewolves shining through. After a moment of inner debate he put down the quill he'd been intending to use, instead grabbing a 'Truth-be-hidden' one. As he began to recite his letter aloud, the quill starting writing on the paper, hiding any distaste and curses that came during the long sentences.  
  
Five hours and ten crumbled letters later, the minister of Magic read over the final product with a smile. Grabbing a normal quill, he put his signature underneath the long string of words.  
  
"Tyke!" He called, and a resounding 'Bang!' echoed through his office.  
  
"Master Fudge called, sir?" Asked the small house-elf in front of him.  
  
He nodded, holding out the letter, "Make sure this gets delivered to the Daily Prophet before the sun rises!"  
  
The house-elf squeaked, "Yes, Master Fudge, sir, Tyke will make sure letter gets delivered before sunset sir!" With a snap of his fingers, the house- elf was gone again.  
  
Sighing deeply, Fudge left his office, barely taking note of the sun setting outside as he passed the magically enhanced windows. As he left the building, two Aurors stared after him.  
  
"Well that is unusual," one commented, "He must've stayed overnight."  
  
His companion nodded, frowning deeply, "Knowing Fudge, that can only mean bad things."  
  
It wasn't until the Daily Prophet was delivered three hours later that the two men found out what the Minister of Magic had been up to in his office that night. 


End file.
